ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nearly a century after Sgt. William Shemin pulled wounded comrades to safety on a World War I battlefield, his heroism has finally earned him the nation’s highest service medal.

The White House announced Thursday that President Barack Obama will award the Medal of Honor to two World War I soldiers — Shemin and Army Pvt. Henry Johnson. Shemin died in 1973, so his daughter, Elsie Shemin-Roth, in her mid-80s and from suburban St. Louis, will accept the medal in a ceremony at the White House on June 2.

Shemin-Roth did not respond to calls seeking comment Thursday. She said in an earlier interview that she worked for years to gather documents in support of her bid for the medal for her father, an honor she felt was previously denied because he was Jewish.

“Discrimination should never play a role when our country pays tribute to extraordinary acts of courage and selfless sacrifice,” Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri said in a statement. “I couldn’t be prouder that we were able to correct these past injustices, and that William Shemin and other Jewish heroes will get the recognition they deserve, and the national gratitude they earned.”

Shemin was 19 in August 1918. His battalion was fighting in France. Americans were scattered over the battlefield.

“With the most utter disregard for his own safety, (Shemin) sprang from his position in his platoon trench, dashed out across the open in full sight of the Germans, who opened and maintained a furious burst of machine gun and rifle fire,” according to one of Shemin’s superiors, Capt. Rupert Purdon, who later wrote in support of a Medal of Honor.

The young sergeant took shrapnel while leading the platoon out of harm’s way for the next three days. A German bullet pierced his helmet and lodged behind his left ear, landing Shemin in the hospital for three months and leaving him partly deaf. Shrapnel wounds eventually left him barely able to walk.

He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest military honor, but there was never an explanation of why he was denied the Medal of Honor. Shemin, who was from New York state, later earned a degree from Syracuse and started a greenhouse and nursery business in the Bronx.

In the early 2000s, Shemin-Roth learned of a law that reviewed cases of Jews who may have been denied medals they earned in World War II. She also learned there was no similar mechanism for World War I veterans, and set about to change that, prompting passage of a measure allowing review of records of Jewish World War I veterans who may have been discriminated against.

Johnson, of New York City, was part of an all-black National Guard unit ordered into battle. On May 15, 1918, Johnson and a fellow soldier were attacked by at least 12 German soldiers, according to the White House. Despite serious wounds, the two men fought back until the Germans retreated, while Johnson kept his badly wounded colleague from becoming a prisoner of war.

Congress recently passed a bill changing veterans tuition to allow veterans using the GI bill education benefits to be granted “in-state” tuition beginning in 2015. This is a huge advantage as “in-state” tuition can oftentimes be three to four times less than out of state tuition.

Presently, Post 9/11 benefits cover “in-state” tuition, however, veterans that choose to go to school out side of the state they reside in are subject to very steep out of state tuition as non-residents.

Besides financial relief to non-resident veterans, the new law will guarantee in-state tuition to dependents of veterans who use transferred Post-9/11 benefits. That combination of breaks also could lower the federal government’s tab for GI Bill benefits by $175 million over the next decade, CBO estimates.

Transitioning veterans have three choices when they transition into civilian life. They can go to work for a company, they can start their own business or they can continue their education using their available educational benefits.

These are stories of four different individuals, who while choosing to utilize their educational benefits, were confronted with issues that they overcame.

Vet2Tech is a non-profit organization helping qualified veterans pay for industry-specific vocational training through scholarship funding. TechU24/7 is the developer of a 3-D interactive online training course that equips entry-level candidates with the fundamental skills needed to be hired as commercial food equipment repair technicians. Training can be completed in about one month and is approved through the GI Bill’s Licensing and Certification Approval System (LACAS).

Skilled service technicians are in great demand. TechU24/7’s program trains technicians in the fundamentals of electricity, gas, and steam, as they pertain to commercial restaurant equipment.

According to industry estimates, approximately 15,000 jobs are available nationwide right now, and demand is expected to increase 7% over the next five years. These jobs cannot be exported, and offer competitive salaries and benefits.

Veterans are perfect candidates for these jobs. They are accustomed to working hard and smart for the good of an organization. They are adept learners, organized, team players and possess integrity beyond reproach. It is a win-win situation. Service companies have an opportunity to fill open technician positions with veterans who exemplify outstanding character and professionalism, thereby raising the level of service they provide to their customers, and veterans have the opportunity to begin new careers in high-demand, well-respected jobs with significant growth opportunity.

Vet2Tech and TechU24/7 are committed to bridging the gap between job training and job placement. Every graduate of this online program is guaranteed an in-person job interview with one of the nearly 1,000 hiring service companies in their area who have joined our efforts to put veterans to work.

To learn more about the training/scholarship program please visit Vet2Tech at www.vet2Tech.org.

Go to www.TADPGS.com, click on the “Looking for People” tab, then view “Veterans Solutions” to see more for information on our Veterans Solutions for Employers. Please feel free to join our LinkedIn group, Veterans Hiring Solutions for Veterans and Companies at http://linkd.in/Sg346w. If you have specific questions about hiring veterans or the incentives for doing so, contact me at Ben.Marich@Adeccona.com.

The goal of these sessions is to help veteran entrepreneurs develop better business plans, understand their markets, and gain a keener understanding of the investment process. Specific tutorials will be given on financials, intellectual property, term sheet, and the importance of boards and advisors. Continue reading →

Want a second career in Information Technology or Operations but not sure where to start? The Veterans’ Technology Program at Syracuse University is an online training program for veterans transitioning from the military to corporate careers. It is delivered at no-cost to the veteran; participants do not need to use their benefits to participate as it is paid for in entirety by a generous grant from JP Morgan Chase & Co. We are currently ramping up for the October ’13 session (application deadline is September 9th). Continue reading →

Lisa Rosser, founder and owner of The Value of a Veteran has included Dr. Harry Croft, a long-time associate of TAD PGS Inc. in a webinar that should be a must for those striving to get a better understanding of PTSD. Continue reading →